Aeroplane.



L. R. CULVER.

AEBOPLAHE. nruqnxor nun In! 5. was.

955,389. Patented Apr. 19,1910.

'1 IISITl-JEBET 1.

L. B. GULVER.

AEBOPLAHB.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Y 5. 190a. 955,389, Patented Apr. 19, 1910.

'1 nnnnnnnnnn a.

L. R. CULVBR.

AEROPLANB.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 5. 1906.

955,389. Patented Apr. 19, 1910.

7 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

L. R. GUI-YER.

AEBOPLAHE.

Arruonxql rxmsn IA! 5, 100a.

Patented Apr. 19,1910.

7 IKBBIl-EHBE'I 4.

L. B. OULVER.

AEROPLANE.

APPLIOATIOII FILED IA! 5. 1908.

956,389. Patented Apr. 19,1910.

7 SHEETS-SKIES! 6.

APPLICATION FILED NA! 5, 1908.

Patented Apr. 19,1910. '1 IHBBTHKBET v.

' OFFICE.

LAGLB 13L. GUI-am 01' SALT LAKE cm, UTAH.

specification of matters kateat.

Patented Apr. MD, M9140.

Awhcetton filed may 6, 1008. Eerie! 130. 481,057.

To all whom it my concern:

Be it known that I, LAGAB R. CU'LV'ER, a citizen of the United States, 0.1-, at Snlt Lake City in the county of Salt 6-. and State of lltah, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Aeroplanes, of which the following is a s ification.

The purpose of my invention is to provide a frame and steering apparatus for an aeroplane that is 1i ht, strong and easily managed, that on t e ground or in the air can be directed in its course by slight, yet positive movements of the arts by the manipulator. This I do by e device illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which similar characters of reference indicate like parts throughout the several res.

Figure 1 1s a perspective. ig. 2 is an enlarged perspective with parts broken out. Fig. 3 is an enlarged pers tive of part of the steering mechanism. the steering arts showinfg position for an even keel. ig. 5 is a rout elevation of same. Fig. 6 is a side elevation of same. Fig. 7 is an isometric view of the shifter brace. Fig. 8 is a detail section of the reach rod swivel. Fig; 9 is a plan of the steeri parts raisin 1e piece, also owering the right wing and right side of tail piece. Fig. 10 is a front elevation of same. 11 18 a side elevation of same. Fig. 12 is one of the handle bar levers. Fig. 18 is a plan of the steering parts raising right and lower' the eft, without changing the position 0 the tail. F 141 is a front view of the Fig. 15 is a side view of the same. Figs. 16, 17 and 18 are enlarged views in detail of the difl'erent parts forming the extremity of the tail. Fig. 19 is an enlarged detai of parts formin a corner of the lane. Figs. 20, 21 and are views in de ii of parts forming the movable joints.

The frame of the lane is made of any stron material that as as little weight as possi le, preferably steel tubing and over it silk or other suitable mater-1a. is tightly drawn and fastened, forming a rigid ans, 1, 2 8, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12, as s own in Fig. 1. The win and tail are made of the same material. l he right wing, filling the angle 1, 2, 8 (see Fig. 1) is secured to the frame by pivot joints at 1, 1', 1", 2", 2, 8' and 3, so that at the joint a the wing may be raised or lowered from the horizonig. 4 is a plan of wing and left side of ta tal plane as formed by the frame. The ie ft wing is similar in construction to the-right one, and the dotted lines show the left mpg raised; the broken lines show it lower Similar lines show the same positions and changes of the tail. The tail as shown at 9, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 10 is connected ivot- 'oints at 9 and 10 to the frame. And the all and socket joints at 14 and 15 allow either side of the tail to be raised or lowered independently. The steering parts are situated below the plane, and are carried in the frame alyiivgn 2:18", 4', and 12; an nit-ls suppor e epen mg tn 0, 0', d, e, c, {and stayed by the wires r, en t the tube braces S, S.

For convenience in startin and on the ground, ordinary bicycle whee s, M we rovided and secgred, onefwheel to each 0 the de ndi tnesc c goin on the lower frame T. U. V. W. by the cross tubes X. Y. and Z is the steering mechanism and so arranged and constructed that each side may be operated dependently, or jointly with the other, and the descri tion of one side, with its connections an adjustments will a ply to the other side, except that one is eft and the other right in some of their connections and ad'ustments.

he hendle bars of the steerin mechanism are shown as A. the right, an F the left hand; eachisconnected to its lever by a key and ie -way,the keyway being shown in Fig. 12. '11 e handle bars are carried by the member E in bearings provided in its up; wardly extended arms, and said member 1'4 is firmly secured on the vert1cal tubs F. The latter is provided with the lde hearto which are secured the race tubes L an L which carry the post bearings I and P. The tube F also carries the bracket D, (to which is axially secured the shifting brace C) and a swivel bearing F mt its lower end which is mounted on the cross tube Y; the lever B is i otally connected to the reach B by the be t at, and the reach B is ivoted to one ar of'the bell crenk lever b the bolt The beil crank lever B is ulcrumed to the shiftin breceC by the boltw; and the upper arm 0 he bell crank lever B is provided with a slotted hole, within which is made to operate the bolt m, which is firmly secured in the arm B of the rocking shaft J. The rocking shaft J is supiported at one end by the post bearing I, an at the other end by the hearing 1'. On the front or forward end of the rocking shaft J, is secured the arm 0, which has pivoted to it one end of the reach rods 0' and O. O is ivoted to one end of the lever N, which is astened at the other end to the standard of the bicycle wheel M. O is pivoted at one end to the left wing. b is the border tube which reaches from the main plane at 6 to the point b of the left wing, it has both ends pivoted and has slotted holes in its ends to allow a limited movement of the left wing. The brace tubes b are pivoted at both ends. The rear bicycle wheels are not connected with the steering gpgr, but are swivelly attached to the frame. e reach Q is pivotally connected to arm R which is secured on a rocking shaft R, which also carries arm R, and is carried b bearings S and S, provided at each en The arm R is pivoted to the reach rod S, which is connected to the arm T of the rocking shaft T'. The latter is provided with bearin and also carries secured thereon or integra therewith an arm that forms one side 0 the ta l piece, and as ye are describ the left side of the machine, it would cm the left side of the tail piece.

This side of the tail piece is braced at 13 by a brace reachi to the border tube, this brace is made rigi at that point to the tail piece, but is pivoted at the other end 9, to the frame of the machine.

The elasticity of the sides of the tail piece, and the ball and socket 'oints at its extreme wrners allow for the difference needed in adjustment. The shifter brace G is permitted by the length of the bolts X and W to move on a horizontal plane from right to left or left to ri ht by the shiftin of arms 18' on said b0 ts, each of said Its being lon r than the thickness of said arms B, and a the same time it does not change from a plane parallel with the main plane.

In operation (motion having first been imparted to the aeroplane) the aviator wishing to rise, with an even keel, ushes down on both handle bars, which Wlll raise the four vertical reach rods, those ascending being marked Q, and those depending B and each is provided with a swivel 'oint at H to ermit some rotary motion. he two depen ing rods being thus raised, will raise the horizontal arms of the bell crank levers B", which will throw the vertical arms of the said levers out. They being connected to the two rear de ending arms B of the shafts J and J, Wlll turn them, the ri ht one to the left and the left one to the rig t, this also turning the two depending arms 0, on the forward ends of the shafts J and J in the same manner. The reach rods 0 that are connected to the wings and to these two depending arms 0, on the forward ends ceases of the shafts J and J will be thrown out, (that is the ri ht one to the ri ht and the left one to the sit), and this wi l raise both win .Tne two asoendin nected to two forwardl reach rods are cony extended horizontal arms R that are secured to two shafts It, the shafts have two upwardly extended arms R that are connected to .two horizontal reach rods S, and when the ascending reach rods Q are raised, they will turn the two shafts and will shove back on the horizontal reach rods they being connected to" two other shafts in the rear, by two depending arms, and the last mentioned shafts will be turned in the opposite direction from the first, the sides of the tail being connected to the last mentioned shafts, the tail will be raised. When the handle bars are raised it will lower all four reach rods, and the movement throughout will be opposite from what it was when the handle bars were depressed, these two movements bein used when wishmg to ascend and descen The ascendin reach rods and connections control the tail, the depending ones the wings. When one handle bar is raised and the other lowered, it will raise one win and lower the other wing, and will also raise one side of the tail and ower the other side; this will turn the machine to the ri ht or left, accordin to the handle bar that 15 raised or lowe Une side of the machine can be given said movements wihz )ut moving the other side by moving the handle bars on that side, but the shifting movement which will be next described is a joint movement of both wings without any tail movement.

The same horizontal directions of the machine as above described, may be secured by shifting the handle bars to the right or left; this w 1 move the wings but not the tail, and is herein called the shift ng movements. \Vishin to turn by said shiftin movement, say to t e left, the aviator won d shift the handle bars toward the left hand. This will move the shifting brace C to the right, and as the two bell crank levers B are connected to the shifting brace 0, they will be carried to the right with the brace, and will remain in their central upright ition if the handle bars are not mov up nor down, and as they are moved tothe right and be ing connected to the de nding arms of the shafts J and J this wi throw the arms on said shaft to the ri t and will turn the shafts to the left. T is will raise the right win and lower the left wing and as the four vertical reach rods are not moved up nor down, the tail will not be moved.

The front of the plane has two win that can be raised or lowered, and the tail is connected to the steering a paratus in such a way, that both wings o the plane can be moved without moving the tail,

each side of the tail may be raised or lowered inde ndently of the other. When right an left wings are both raised together, it will raise both sides of the tail iece, and when both wines are lowered, t e same. action will lower the tall piece, but when one wing is raised, we will say the right" wing, it will raise the right side of the tail iece, and if the left win be lowered, it will lower the left side of t e tail iece. This position of wing and tail wou d allow the air todgo under the ri ht wing and raise that si e; the air woul strike on the top of the right side of the tail iece and tend to lowe it, but if the left si e (win and tail) would be lowered, the air would s eer oil to the left, which would move the stern of the machine to the right, and as the left wing would be down, the air would go over it, and would tilt the machine to the left, and would move the whole machine in a curve to the left.

When the aviator wishes to go in a straight line, the wings can be moved, so as not to throw the machine to the right or left, by moving the handle bars to the right or left, as the case may require; that is, if the machine tips to the ri t, he would move his handle bars to t e left, which would not move the tail, but would raise the right wing and let the air go under it, and would lower the left win and let the air over it, which would t1 t the machine to t e left. When it was on an evenkeel, he would move his handle bars heel: to the center. If the front of the machine started down he would lower his handle bars, which would raise both wings and both sides of the tail jointly; the air would then go under the wings and would raise the front ed of the machine, and striking the top of t is tail piece would throw the stern down. If

I, he wanted to turn to the left, he would raise -dle bar, which won his left handle bar and lower his right hanld lower the left win and raise the right one, and tilt the machine to the left, and as the t side of the tail piece would be u an the left one down, the air would strike the ri t side, and be thrown off to the left, which would throw the stern of the machine to the right. When the machine was around far enough the aviator would move his handle bars to the position shown in Fi 4, 5 end 6, which would be an even has Having thus described my invention, I desire to secure by Letters Patent, and claim: 1. In an aeroplane, the combination of a kite shaped frame having its front corners movable, and a tail piece pivoted to said frame, the side of said tail piece forming one arm of a rocking shaft, a reach ivoted to the otherarm of said rockin sha t, another rockin shaft one arm of w ic'h is pivoted to sai reach, and the other arm of the second mentioned reciting shaft pivoted to one end of a vertical reach, and said vertical v ach being pivoted at one end to n handle bar lever.

2. ln an aeroplane, the combination of a kite shaped frame having its front corners mosame, a tail piese senses sid is a a m t a rocking shaft ivoted to said frame, the

other arm of sai rocking shaft being'piti'eted to a reach rod, said reach rod actuatetil'hy one arm of another-rocking shaft, the other arm of said last mentioned rockin shaft being pivoted to a vertical reach, said vertical reach being pivoted to the handle her lever, a reach also pivoted to said lever and.

depending therefrom, one arm of shell crank lever bein pivoted to the lower-fend of said reach, a s otted hole in the other'atrm of said bell crank lever, a bolt adapted to be 0 rated in said hole, one arm of another rockin shaft secured to said holt,'the other arm of said latter rocking shaft being pivoted to a brace tube, to the other end of which is connected the wing of the frame.

3. In an aeroplane, the combination of a wheeled frame whose front corners are movable above and below the plane thereof, a tail piece pivoted to said frame, means for moving each side of said frame and-tail jointly or severally above and below the plane of said frame. said means consisting of a separate handle bar for each side of the machine, a lever attached thereto, a vertical reach pivoted at its lower end to said lever, one arm of a rock shaft pivoted to said vertical reach, a horizontal reach isoted to the other arm of said rock aha t, one arm of another rock shaft pivoted to the other end of said horizontal reach, one side of said tail piece formi the other arm of said last mentioned rock a iaft, the u per end of an actuating bar secured to sai handle bar lever, the lower end of said actuating her being lever, to the other arm of which lever is pivoted one end of a lever that is secured on a rocking shaft, a depending arm on said rockin shaft, a shifting bar se ured to said arm, the other end of said shifting bar pivoted to the wing of the plane, an actuating bar, one end of which is attached to said depending arm of the last mentioned rocking shaft, the other end of said actuating bar being pivoted to a lever that is secured to the standard of a forward'wheel.

4%. In an aeroplane, the combination of a kite aha frame, the front corners thereof being pivoted to said frame and a v I to be raised or lowered, each was tly of the other, a frame suspended I said kite shaped frame, cross tubes secured on said last mentioned frame, steering mechanism secured on said tubes. road wheels operated by said steering mechanism, said steering mechanism consisting of two handle bars, a member attached t ereto, and adaph pivoted to one arm of a be crank ed to turn a vertical tube, beerin for said tube, a bracket secured on said tu a shifting brace secured to the front end of said bracket two bell crank levers, one on each side fulcrunied to the lower extremity of said shifting brace, horizontal arms on said levers pivotullv connected to the lower ends of two vertical reach rods, the vertical arms of said levers having slotted o nings therein, bolts integral with depending levers and adapted to 0 rate in said slotted openings, rocking she s to which said de riding levers are secured, bearin for sai shafts, others arms on said she ts pivotally connected to diagonal shifting tubes the latter being pivoted, one end of each to one arm of each of said shifts, the other ends of said tubes being ivoted to the win of the machii' s an for the i escribed.

5. ie combination of a covered, kite shaped frame, the front corners pivoted to permit a portion thereof to be raised or lowered from the plane of said frame, a tail piece pivoted to said frame, and means for misingor lowerin a portion of said front corners above or low the plane of said frame without moving the said tail piece, said means consisting of handle bars on the top of a vertical tube, a bracket b also secured on said tube, a member ivcted on the end of said bracket brace2 crank levers fulcrumed to the bottom 0 said memherbs:d arm ondeach (if said bell fcranliirolcoiz iers piv to a open arm 0 a ng shaft, two rockin one on each side of said frame an each having two do ding arms, bolts secured to one of sai dending arms on each rocking shaft, a tube race ivoted at one end to the other arm of one-h s iaft, and the other end of each tube branoe bein pivoted to the outer corner of the front go of said frame, as and for the purposes des 'ibed.

8. The combination of a covered kite sheped frame, the front corners of said frmme adapted to move above and below'the plane of said frame-4. tail piece pivoted to said frame,.ball and socket joints at the rear corners of said tail, and mesns'for moving the front corners of said frame and the rear portion-of said tail piece above and below senses the lane of said frame, means for moving the rout corner on either side and the rear corner of the tail on the same side above the plane of said frame, and at the same time to move the other front corner of said frame, and the other rear corner of the tail below the plane of said frame, as and for the purposes described.

7. The combination of a covered kite shaped frame, the front corners of said frame adnpted to move above and belovt the plane of said frame-4i, tail piece pivoted to said frame, ball and socket joints at the rear corners of said tail end means for moving the front corners and tail above and below the plane of said frame, with means for moving the front corner on either side and the rear corner of the tail on the same side above the lane of said frame, and at the same time or movin the other front corner of sold frame, on the other rear corner of the tail below the plane of said frame, said means consisting of two handle bars, two levers carried thereby, one h each handle bar, one ascending and one spending reach rod pivoted to each lever, an arm on each of two rocki shafts bein pivoted to the upper end 0 each of sai ascending reach rods,

the other arm of each of said rocking shaftsbeing pivoted to one end of horizontal rods, one to each rod, two other rocking shafts, an arm on each pivoted to the said horizontal rod on that side, another arm on each of said last mentioned rocking shafts extend ed to form the sides of the said tail ises, and an arm of each of two bell crank livers givoted one to each at the lower end of said lid reach rods, a do din arm of ezi li of t i o rockin shafts pmed t o a vertical arm of the be crnnk lever on its sid and another depending arm on each of ssi last mentioned rocking shafts pivoted to braces that are connected at their other ends to the movable oorners'of the frame, as and for the pn described.

In testimony whereof I have afixod my signature in presence of two witn LAGAR R. CULVER.

wimastr;

F, IBJHUIIMAN, C, M. Hmeon. V 

